Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons are chewy chocolate-dipped coconut cookies made without flour. They have a crispy and caramelized outside, tender inside, and require minimal effort to make.
Preheat the oven - Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make coconut mixture - In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut flakes, vanilla, almond extract, condensed milk, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.
14 oz sweetened coconut flakes, ⅔ cups sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Whip egg whites - Using a stand or hand mixer, whip egg whites on high. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
2 egg whites
Mix egg whites and coconut mixture - Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Prepare and bake the macaroons - Use a cookie scoop or spoon to dollop drops of batter onto the parchment paper, at least 1 inch between. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack one at a time and bake for 20-25 minutes. The bottom edges will be deep golden brown and the tops a light golden brown.
Heat the chocolate - Remove the macaroons from the oven and melt the chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, add ⅔ of the chocolate. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments at 50% power and stir in between each 30 second interval until melted and smooth. This will help melt the chocolate and prevent the chocolate from burning. Gradually stir in the remaining ⅓ chocolate in small amounts at a time until the chocolate is completely melted. This will temper the chocolate and give the cooled chocolate a nice shine.
1 cup chocolate chips
Dip the cookies in chocolate - Dip the bottoms of each macaroon in the chocolate and/or drizzle chocolate on top of each macaroon and place on a cooling rack or parchment paper.
Cool then serve - Allow the chocolate to cool, then serve and enjoy!
Always use high quality chips like Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Trader Joe's baking chips because they melt well. Cheap chocolate chips will not melt as well because they have fillers.
Make sure there are no egg yolks in the egg whites or they will not form stiff peaks.
Use unsweetened coconut flakes to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. They will be slightly drier, but still delicious.